The present invention is directed to uppers for sports footwear such as skates and, in particular, to lacing systems for uppers.
In-line skates, quad skates, ice skates, and other sporting footwear often include a high-back boot upper that, cooperatively with the boot sole, receives the user""s foot and secures the user""s foot to the skate. An elongate slit, or vamp, is typically provided near the front of the upper to facilitate putting on and taking off the skate. Various mechanisms for securing the boot upper about the user""s foot are known in the art. Skates, and in-line skates in particular, frequently include both a lace-type fastening system and a strap-type fastener. The lace-type securement allows the user to tighten the upper along at least a portion of the length of the vamp, providing a secure and comfortable fit for the user. Additionally, one or more strap assemblies, typically having oppositely-disposed straps attached on either side of the vamp and employing a buckling mechanism, provide a strong and secure attachment, usually near the top of the upper about the user""s ankle, and sometimes also generally over the user""s instep. The strap-type fastener is typically much sturdier than the lace system and therefore provides a sturdy connection that is able to withstand the stresses of even a very rigorous skater""s activity, while protecting the lace from excessive stresses.
Donning such skates, however, can be tedious and inconvenient to the user, due to the multiple securement mechanisms. The inconvenience is particularly undesirable when the user is burdened with other gear such as padding, safety equipment, backpacks, and the like, that makes reaching down to the skates more difficult. Also, if the user attempts to fasten the laces and straps while standing on the skates, fastening the these securement mechanisms may be even more problematic due to the need to maintain balance on the skates.
Mechanisms that alleviate the need to tie the laces are known, including for example, devices often referred to as lace fasteners, or lace lockers. Lace lockers typically provide a lace-clamping mechanism that is slidably disposed on the laces and is adapted to releasably hold the laces in a tightened configuration. An example of a lace locker is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,593 to Leick. Leick discloses a lace locker having a circular locking member slidably disposed in a converging cavity of a body that is adapted to receive laces. When the locking member is near the narrow end of the cavity, it clampingly engages the laces, restraining the laces. When the locking member is near the wider end of the cavity, the locking member releases the laces, permitting the lace locker to slide along the length of the laces. The locking member is biased in the locking position, i.e., toward the narrow end of the cavity, and a xe2x80x9cpusherxe2x80x9d button is attached to the locking member, permitting the user to move the locking member against the biasing force, to release the laces.
Another lace locker mechanism, operating on similar principles, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,339,867 to Azam. Azam discloses a device similar to that disclosed by Leick, but having a release mechanism that locks the lace locker in the unlocked position to facilitate disengagement or loosening of the lace.
These prior art lace lockers, however, require two hands to engage. The user must grasp the lace in one hand and grasp the lace locker with the other hand to push the lace locker along a portion of the length of the lace. Also, to remove a boot using these lace lockers, the user must first loosen the lace locker, and then typically pull outwardly on the tongue of the boot. Another disadvantage of prior art lace lockers is that the lace locker must be positioned generally at the top of the uppermost lace keeper to hold the lace in the tightened position. This may be inconvenient in boots that also have a strap-type fastener, as the lace locker may interfere with the desired location of the strap and/or buckle. Interference between the strap and the lace locker may also result in damage to either or both of these devices.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art noted above and to provide a skate upper having a lacing system that the user can tighten and/or loosen with a single hand. The present invention provides an upper for sporting footwear, such as in-line skates, wherein the upper has an elongate vamp to facilitate donning and removing the footwear. A lace locker is attached near the top of the upper, preferably near the top of the tongue of the upper. The lace locker permits the user to pull upwardly on the lace with one hand, without grasping the lace locker, to tighten the lace about the user""s foot. The lace locker includes a button for releasing the lace, whereby the user can grasp the tongue, depressing the button, and pull outwardly with one hand to loosen the laces and simultaneously move the tongue away for removal of the skate. A lace guide is optionally provided below the lace locker and above the uppermost lace keeper to guide the lace towards the lace locker.
In an embodiment of the present invention, an upper is provided having a slot or vamp with a tongue disposed generally along the vamp and a plurality of lace keepers oppositely disposed along either side of the vamp. A lace is retained by the lace keepers for tightening the upper about the foot of a user. A lace locker is attached at a top end of the upper, preferably near the top of the tongue, the lace locker clampingly engaging the lace ends such that the lace locker will maintain the lace in a tightened condition. An upward force on the lace ends permits the user to tighten the lace, while releasing that upward force permits the lace locker to re-clamp the lace. A button on the lace locker is provided that operates to release the clamping of the lace, whereby the lace ends can be slidably moved through the lace locker to tighten or loosen the lace.
In an embodiment of the invention the lace locker includes a body portion having a stitch flange, the body having a converging cavity. A sliding blocker in the cavity is biased downwardly, and includes lace-engagement edges that clamp onto the lace. A button is attached to the blocker whereby the user can move the sliding blocker against the biasing force to release the clamping engagement of the lace.
In a disclosed embodiment of the invention, the lace-engagement edges comprise a plurality of teeth to improve the gripping ability of the blocking element.
In an aspect of a disclosed embodiment of the invention, a lace guide is attached to the upper, preferably to the tongue of the upper, below the lace locker and above the lace keepers, and the lace ends are slidably disposed in the lace guide.
In another aspect of the disclosed embodiment of the invention, a strap assembly is attached to the upper, operable to secure the upper portion of the vamp in a closed position. The lace locker is attached to the top of the tongue, above the strap assembly, and the lace guide is attached to the tongue below the strap assembly.